NORTHBOROUGH – After a fire closed its doors in 2021, owners of the Motel 6 are hoping to reconstruct the hotel.
About two years ago, the Northborough Fire Department responded to Motel 6, which is located at 27 Belmont Road. According to Patch, firefighters went into a room on the first floor and found a fire on and around the bed.
Back in November, Motel 6 officials applied for a renovation/rebuild permit. The applicant Jay Patel went before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on Aug. 22 seeking a variance regarding septic.
The motel previously had 99 rooms. According to Patel, the current plan calls for 91 rooms.
“We have a real financial hardship,” Patel said.
Patel told the ZBA that they don’t have any income.
“We have [a] mortgage. We have insurance. We have property tax. We have all of the ongoing expenses,” Patel said.
He said they were asking to be able to use the existing septic system while working on a sewer expansion to serve the Lawrence Street area through private-public efforts with the town. If the town is unable to get a grant for the extension, Patel said he would pay for it.
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According to Inspector of Buildings/Zoning Enforcement Officer Bob Frederico, for a construction permit to alter a building, Northborough’s zoning code requires an approved plan from the Health Department or Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) for a septic system or a sewer connection permit issued by the Department of Public Works (DPW) Sewer Department.
Whether the Northborough Health Department or MassDEP makes the approval depends on the septic flow. If the flows exceed 10,000 gallons, the approval would need to come from MassDEP. However, if the number of rooms is further reduced – also reducing the sewer capacity – it would be the jurisdiction of the town’s health department.
Specifically, Patel is seeking a variance that would provide relief from these requirements.
Patel told the ZBA that he didn’t know what the status of the septic system was, but it was working the day of the fire.
For a sewer connection permit, Frederico said the town would need approved plans.
“The plans that have been submitted up until now – none of it has been workable,” Frederico said.
He said that DPW Director Scott Charpentier has reviewed at least one plan “which failed.”
Patel said the plans were “very, very preliminary” and were submitted in May. Since, Patel said his team has done “extensive” work, including surveying, wetland delineation and grading.
That takes time, he said. Plus, they have a pump station that needs to be located and will require a meeting.
Patel said that work could be done over a 12-month period while the motel is reconstructed.
“The strict requirement that they have to have this permit now from the DPW or Board of Health, if we can waive this requirement and work with us so we can have the building because it’s going to take me 12 months to rebuild the hotel,” Patel said. “I want to use time effectively so we can work and get the projects moving.”
During the meeting, Planning Director Laurie Connors voiced concerns about what the status of the septic system and what would be done with the waste in the interim.
Patel said he could have a third party inspect his septic system.
If the variance is granted and Frederico issues a permit to allow Patel to work on the motel, and if there isn’t a viable and certified septic system or active sewer tie in at the end of that work, Frederico said he couldn’t give Motel 6 an occupancy certificate.
Ultimately, the hearing was continued to the ZBA’s meeting until Sept. 26.
